Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. (Ogletree Deakins), one of the largest labor and employment law firms representing management, has announced that Joe Clees, a shareholder in the firm’s Phoenix office, has been named to Human Resource Executive magazine’s 2015 list of “The Nation’s Most Powerful Employment Attorneys.” This is the seventh consecutive year that Clees has been selected for inclusion on the Most Powerful list.

Human Resource Executive magazine’s “The Nation’s Most Powerful Employment Attorneys” guide, which is produced in partnership with Lawdragon, recognizes employment lawyers who stand out for their ability to guide employers through constantly-evolving workplace laws. The list is intended to offer corporate counsel and human resource professionals an unsurpassed guide to the best lawyers to help them resolve difficult employment situations and keep them in compliance with increasingly complicated and changing workplace-related regulations. Lawdragon selected the 100 leading corporate-side employment lawyers based on online balloting and submissions with rigorous vetting, as well as editorial and peer review. To make the list, a lawyer typically has practiced for more than 20 years and amassed as list of remarkable accomplishments, including defending and advising companies in the day’s most critical matters and advising them on hiring and retaining the best employees from around the world. A recognized attorney typically has also generally chaired his or her firm’s employment department, been selected to lead his or her state or national employment-bar organization, and received glowing recommendations from corporate counsel who have benefited from their services and would hire them again.